Owen boys soccer team succeeds with new coach

Despite a new coach two games in, the Owen's boys soccer team has started its season strong. 

The Warhorses won 3-1 in their Aug. 31 home match against West Henderson, bringing their season record to 4-1-1. 

New coach Trei Morrison stepped in after David Fiest left due to what Morrison called a "life change" that included a new job in Charlotte. 

"Our weakness is they've got a brand new coach that they don't know as well and we're having to learn how to work together, and they've doing a brilliant job of that," Morrison said. "Hopefully I'm helping a little bit, but the fact we haven't been together for a long time hurts us a little bit, and they're still getting used to me."

Senior midfield Harrison Kendall, who scored Owen's final goal of the Aug. 31 match with 3:20 left in the second half, said he does not see the new coach as a weakness. 

"Obviously with coach Trei, with a new coach, a lot of things changed, but I think it changed for the better," Kendall said. "We've kind of gotten a lot better, even with the new changes. It hasn't been a long time with him, and we're still really good."

Having coached soccer for more than 30 years, Morrison is no stranger to the game. He coached for more than a decade at the college level as well as three years with the now defunct Asheville Splash. Morrison was once the director of coaching at HFC, where he most recently coached. He comes to Owen after retiring from there. 

Morrison described himself as "pretty intense," but says he does not yell at players, instead trying to keep them focused. Throughout the match he could be heard telling his players they were doing well. 

"You were fantastic tonight, start to finish," Morrison told the Warhorses. "We need to replicate that."

In his eyes, Kendall said the team's biggest weakness is not always being together. 

"Our weakness is probably when we're in our own heads," Kendall said. "That's when we're not as good as we could be." 

Junior Abraham Pospishil agreed and said learning to play better together will see the team continue to improve. 

"I think what we need to get better at is playing as a team," Pospishil said. "We have a lot of talented players and as we continue to play together, we'll improve playing as a team and that will level us up."

Still, Morrison said the team has a kind of creative and selfless play that has propelled them forward. 

Though not every player had a chance to play during the Aug. 31 match, Morrison said they played in a recent match and he tries to get every player in. 

Last season, the Warhorses fell to Lincoln Charter in the second round of playoffs. The goal this year is to get back there and beyond. 

Pospishil said the key is to stay as strong as they are now. 

"In conference, not to drop our level and make sure we're still going at those teams," Pospishil said. "Even though they're worse than the teams we're playing now and still go hard at them."

Morrison said he is looking forward to the rest of the season and improving with the team. 

"I'm excited to be here and I'm excited to work with the guys and I think we've got a lot ahead of us," Morrison said. "We're not where we want to be, but we're on our way."